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Just as I read Rhonda Rowland’s blog post about her father seeking help for depression, I received an e-mail from Molly McVoy, M.D. who works with the American Psychiatric Association about a Father’s Day survey on depression. According to the results, being a father is an important factor in a man’s decision to seek help for mental health issues. On the American Psychiatric Association’s website called HealthyMinds.org, a summary of the survey is published:
There are more than 6 million men suffering from depression each year, and though many try to deal with it on their own, the survey indicates that fathers are more likely to take their mental health seriously for the sake of their children. Over 90 percent of men surveyed said their role as a father or legal guardian would have an impact on their decision to seek help if they were feeling depressed.
Survey respondents were more likely to say they would encourage their fathers to seek help for depression if they are parents themselves. More than 90 percent of parents or guardians who still have contact with their fathers said they would be likely to encourage their own fathers to seek help for depression if they felt it was interfering with his work or relationships, while only 85 percent of the non-parents would encourage their father to get help.
While stigma surrounding mental health issues has declined, many men indicated that they are more comfortable discussing other health issues. Half of the men surveyed said it would be easier or equally easy to talk to their fathers about depression, while a third said it would be easier to talk to them about screening for cancer than seeking help for depression.
Visit HealthyMinds.org by clicking here.
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
posted July 1, 2009 at 9:55 am
Fathers in most families, really in our culture, are the “rocks” on which the family depends for their survival. They are expected like the proverbial postMAN to “deliver” in all kinds of weather and in all seasons. So when Daddy gets “sick”( just like Mommy ) he plows on..they’re not allowed by themselves or society any down time for this reason and a whole host of others like who could possibly fill the multiple roles they play in the lives of their famlies? In our fractured society the other family members like the grand-parents, the aunts and uncles,etc. are separated either by geography or emotional distance and they cannot be there to step up to the plate when serious illness of any kind occurs. So the “sick” Dad goes on with an impossible load until he finally collapses under the burden all the while self-medicating with alcohol or some other addictive self-destructive behavior. His family suffers under what is often abusive behaviour and in general the destructive role-modeling that goes on maybe for generations until finally a very brave Dad or Mom looks in the mirror and says ENOUGH! and makes the courageous decision to stop the hell and get the help that finally puts the train on the right track. OR NOT! and the hell goes on passed from generation to generation while the society in which we live fuels the oppression of mental disease with its condemnatory strictures. It’s a brave and courageous person male or female that seeks the kind of help necessary to heal in this kind of atmosphere. It’s made better by the “going public” on the part of people like Jane Pauly and others who take that brave step. God bless them. Famlies like mine are most grateful to them for their example and are given courage to emulate their bravery in seeking help. Help is out there and we just need to be shown the way to the light. Thanks for this blog also a light on the path of darkness in our lives.